New car hire app Virtuo sidesteps all the usual pains of London car rentals
By far the least entertaining part of renting a car is having to stand around inside a hermetically sealed fartbox of a portacabin on the edge of some rainy industrial estate, before a 17-year-old in an oversized suit throws you the keys to an old banger that you suspect was built in East Germany.
Recently launched in London, French car hire firm Virtuo foregoes this part of the rental experience. It’s half Zipcar, half standard rental, allowing you to hop into and drive away one of the company’s new Mercedes A-Class cars using just your smartphone.
Registration happens entirely inside the app, by scanning the front and back of your licence and filling in your credit card details, as does the pre-rental damage check, agreed mileage and any additional excess insurance you might be after. In fact, the only human contact during my rental was a brief conversation with Virtuo’s customer support, who quickly ascertained that the reason my car wasn’t unlocking was because I was standing next to the wrong Mercedes.
The app functions as a wireless car key, which can be transferred to an NFC card once you're inside the car. Useful for when your battery is running low.
You also avoid the usual upsell to a better ride, as you’re guaranteed to get the car you see in the picture, rather than choosing a "Focus or similar" and getting lumped with some weird-ass old Citroen. The entire fleet is automatic, pristine, and the A-Class is a treat to drive, with satellite navigation and Bluetooth included. Additional drivers are free too, and rental prices are on par with the cheapest cars from rival firms. You can get an A-Class for as little as £35 a day.
Currently, cars can only be picked up from five spots – Kensington High Street, St Pancras, Marble Arch, Victoria and Waterloo – which limits the app’s usefulness for those wanting to jump straight into a car from the airport. But for those looking to get out of the city for a couple of days, with minimal faffing about, Virtuo is a modern, sensible way to hire.
Visit govirtuo.com